Religion and Public Life in the Pacific Northwest: The None Zone / Edition 1

by Patricia O'Connell Killen, Mark Silk, Patricia O' Connell Killen and Mark Shibley, Mark Shibley, Dale Soden

Overview

When asked their religious identification, more people answer "none" in the Pacific Northwest than in any other region of the United States. But this does not mean that the region's religious institutions are without power or that Northwesterners who do attend no place of worship are without spiritual commitments. With no dominant denomination, Evangelicals, Mainline Protestants, Catholics, Jews, adherents of Pacific Rim religious traditions, indigenous groups, spiritual environmentalists, and secularists must vie or sometimes must cooperate with each other to address the regions' pressing economic, environmental, and social issues. One cannot understand this complex region without understanding the fluid religious commitments of its inhabitants. And one cannot understand religion in Oregon, Washington, and Alaska without Religion and Public Life in the Pacific Northwest.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780759106253
Publisher:	AltaMira Press
Publication date:	03/12/2004
Series:	Religion by Region , #1
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	192
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 8.94(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Patricia O'Connell Killen is a professor of religion at Pacific Lutheran University. Mark Silk is the founding director of the Leonard E. Greenberg Center for the Study of Religion in Public Life at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut and adjunct associate professor of religion at Trinity College.

Table of Contents

1 Surveying the Landscape: Historic Trends and Current Patterns in Oregon, Washington, and Alaska 2 Secular but Spiritual in the Pacific Northwest 3 Contesting for the Soul of an Unlikely Land: Mainline Protestants, Catholics, and Jews in the Pacific Northwest 4 The Churching of the Pacific Northwest: The Rise of Sectarian Entrepreneurs: 5 Religions of the Pacific Rim in the Pacific Northwest 6 Religious Futures in the None Zone

Editorial Reviews

This fascinating collection of essays belongs on the shelf of anyone who hopes to understand the changing role that religion has played in creating the social world of the Pacific Northwest.--Oregon Historical Quarterly

From the Publisher

This fascinating collection of essays belongs on the shelf of anyone who hopes to understand the changing role that religion has played in creating the social world of the Pacific Northwest.

Oregon Historical Quarterly

In surveys about religious affiliation, the Pacific Northwest boasts the highest percentage of people checking the "none" box. In Religion and Public Life in the Pacific Northwest: The "None" Zone, edited by Patricia O'Connell Killen and Mark Silk, religion scholars attempt to define why the Northwest appears to be the nation's most secular region. Those who are involved in religious organizations "are divided among many different groups," and sometimes casually switch affiliations. With detailed information about the religious adherence and voting habits of people in Oregon, Washington and Alaska, this book will be of use to students, journalists and the region's residents. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

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